- April 16, 2024
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A development company associated with the one responsible for the Tuscan Reserve apartment complex is planning another "higher-end market rate" apartment community, this time on Old Kings Road north of State Road 100.
"This is the best location in all of Flagler County for an apartment project. The bottom line is, we have no neighbors — and we don’t even really have road frontage right now."
— CHARLIE FAULKNER, project manager
The Palm Coast City Council voted 3-1 to approve a rezoning — from high-intensity commercial land to multifamily residential — necessary for the development process during a City Council meeting Aug. 3. One portion of the parcel will retain the high-intensity commercial designation.
Councilman Eddie Branquinho was the sole dissenting vote, explaining that he opposed the project's density.
Like Tuscan Reserve, which is at full capacity with a 10-15-person waiting list, the new apartment community is expected to appeal to an older, more well-off crowd than the typical apartment complex.
Six of the 246 units on the site will be townhouse-style "carriage homes," while the rest will be apartment units divided into three- and four-story buildings looking out over the woods of Graham Swamp, representatives of developer Ravenshill Holdings told council members at the meeting.
"This is the best location in all of Flagler County for an apartment project," said project manager Charlie Faulkner. "The bottom line is, we have no neighbors — and we don’t even really have road frontage right now."
The development, he said, is named "The Tribute" because it is a tribute to the history of Old Kings Road.
City Councilman Nick Klufas said Palm Coast needs to diversify its housing index, especially as the Town Center area becomes a hub for healthcare education. He supported the development.
Councilman Ed Danko praised the developer's presentation.
"Obviously, you build some high quality stuff," he said. "It does bring some much-needed housing to Palm Coast, and it looks to me like it still leaves a lot of area for commercial development."
The proposal drew a smattering of comments from members of the public during the meeting's public comment period. Most were supportive.
Local real estate expert Toby Tobin said the city is "on the verge of becoming a health care Mecca" because of the proposed UNF MedNexus campus, and that those healthcare workers and instructors will need places to live.
Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Greg Blosé said the chamber supports the proposal. Mark Langello, a developer and member of the county's planning board, noted that multifamily communities like The Tribute are more environmentally friendly than single-family homes.
"There’s a lot of need for this type of community," Langello said.
